Marriott was absent from the Royals' squad against Bradford City at the start of October, with manager Leam Richardson confirming that the experienced forward faced several weeks out.

The striker initially attempted to play through a knock after picking an injury against Wycombe Wanderers but further assessments later in the week confirmed that he would be side-lined.

Speaking ahead of Reading's clash with Leyton Orient on Wednesday the boss suggested there had been no significant change to the injury situation - which includes George Earthy and Benn Ward.

"I think we are as we are," Richardson said at the time.

"It's still a bit early for a couple.

"We're working hard to get the lads back who are out injured. The lads who haven't been playing trained well today and are pushing hard, which is what we expect.

"Hopefully we'll get a fully-fit squad to pick from in the coming weeks."

During Tuesday's Open Training Day at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, the striker was seen training with the first-team squad - providing a long-awaited boost ahead of Reading's challenging away fixture list.

Jacob Brown and Jamie Reid have been filling in for the prolific talisman but have been unable to provide the cutting edge the former Wrexham man brings.

George Earthy, Paddy Lane and Benn Ward are all still recovering from their respective injuries, whilst Jeriel Dorsett has not been seen training today with the first-team squad.

Lane picked up an injury during Reading's 2-1 win over Barnsley on Saturday after pulling his calf on a transitional sprint.

Lane's afternoon was cut short after appearing to suffer a calf problem during the second half at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, putting a dampener on an otherwise positive afternoon for Reading as Kyreece Lisbie's double secured all three points.

Speaking after the game, Richardson admitted the injury "didn't look great" but is awaiting further assessment before discovering the full extent of the problem.

"It didn't look great for Paddy, did it?

"I think he'd pulled his calf on a kind of transitional run when he was sprinting.

"So, yeah, hopefully it's not as bad as it looked because, obviously, he's been in really good form this year and he was growing from strength to strength, hasn't he?

"So, fingers crossed it's not as bad as we first thought."